Strategic Nature Projects

• By the end of the project: at least substantial contribution to the implementation of the targeted plan/strategy, and mechanisms established to ensure full implementation of the plan/strategy.
• After the project: Full implementation of the plan/strategy.

In relation to those expected impacts, applicants are expected to define, calculate, explain and achieve the expected impacts as described in Award criterion ‘Impact’ of the full proposal evaluation (see Call document).

Support the full implementation of the following plans and strategies:

• The Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAFs) pursuant to Article 8 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (the Habitats Directive) and;
• National restoration plans pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and the Council on nature restoration and;
• Other plans or strategies adopted at international, national, regional or multiregional level by nature and biodiversity authorities and intrinsically linked to the implementation of EU nature and/or biodiversity policy or legislation (biodiversity strategy, pollinators initiative, invasive alien species regulation) and which foresee specific and measurable actions, or targets, with a clear timeline and budget.

A SNAP will not have to cover all actions foreseen in the strategy/plan or ensure that the strategy/plan will be fully implemented during the lifetime of the SNAP. However, the SNAP shall include strategic actions to catalyse a process and mobilise supplementary commitments and funding that will lead, in due time, to the full implementation of the plan or strategy.

SNAPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilisation of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of the complementary measures or actions outside of the SNAP in the framework of the targeted plan or strategy, giving preference to Union funding. Within the SNAP itself, however, co-funding may not come from other Union funding sources.

SNAPs shall actively involve the main stakeholders necessary for the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy. They should be involved in both the design and implementation of the given project. This involvement is expected to be achieved by including them - where possible and reasonable - as associated beneficiaries of the SNAP, or through their active participation in the implementation of the SNAP itself and/or of the complementary actions.

SNAPs should facilitate and result in the building up of strategic capacities among the competent authorities and stakeholders to ensure a long-term sustainability of project results and actions, and to ensure that they will be able to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plan or strategy after the end of the SNAP.

Depending on the needs of the given Members States (or regions) as identified in their PAFs or in other nature and biodiversity plans (which must be available by the time a SNAP full proposal is submitted), the set of measures to be included in a SNAP programme of actions shall include the following:

• institutional support and capacity building actions;
• mobilisation and coordination of additional finance for complementary actions, in particular from other EU funding instruments and programmes.

In addition, SNAPs:

• should also include concrete conservation and restoration measures, in particular where these cannot be supported through other EU funding programmes;
• shall also work to change (when applicable) the rules for other funds or adapting other policies/actions which might be leading to failure of the target plan/strategy.

The SNAP complexity requires an adaptive approach in the design of the implementing mechanism. For this reason, SNAPs will be implemented based on a revolving programming mechanism structured in phases (i.e. Phase 1, Phase 2, etc.). Each phase should normally last at least 3 years, to reduce administrative burden, although duration might be shorter if properly justified.

See Call document and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for a more detailed description of SNAP scope and features.